October 2013: A new, fourth, species of a humpback dolphin has been identified in the waters off northern Australia says a team of researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the American Museum of Natural History. Humpback dolphins are named after a peculiar hump found just below the dorsal and live within river deltas, estuaries and coastal waters throughout the Indian, Pacific and eastern Atlantic oceans.

This wide geographic spread has led to the evolution of different species and till now scientists knew of three; the Atlantic humpback dolphin (Sousa teuszii) that lives in the eastern Atlantic off West Africa, the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea), which ranges from the central to the western Indian Ocean, another species of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) that inhabits the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans.

“This discovery helps our understanding of the evolutionary history of this group and informs conservation policies to help safeguard each of the species,” said Dr. Martin Mendez, assistant drector of WCS’s Latin America and the Caribbean Program and lead author of the study.

The humpback dolphin grows up to eight feet in length and ranges from dark grey to pink and/or white in colour. The Atlantic humpback is “Vulnerable” according to the IUCN Red List, whereas the Indo-Pacific species is listed as “Near Threatened.” Humpback dolphins are threatened by habitat loss and fishing activity.

“New information about distinct species across the entire range of humpback dolphins will increase the number of recognized species, and provides the needed scientific evidence for management decisions aimed at protecting their unique genetic diversity and associated important habitats,” said Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, Director of WCS’s Ocean Giants Program.

7 thoughts on “New dolphin species discovery in Australia”

Up to 15,000 dolphins are being killed every year in Peru’s waters — for bait to catch endangered sharks. A new report has forced the government to respond but they’re not taking enough action yet and meanwhile the dolphins and the sharks are being killed. We can stop the massacre by threatening Peru’s international reputation as a tourism destination. Sign now and share:

SIGN THE PETITION
I just saw a report on the news in Peru showing how fishermen are slaughtering up to 15,000 dolphins every year — for bait to catch endangered sharks. The entire story made me sick — and now I’m fighting to end this nightmare. Will you join me?

My government is starting to react, but they’re not taking enough action yet. Dolphin hunting is already illegal and punishable with several years in prison, but authorities are turning a blind eye — allowing thousands of dolphins and sharks to be butchered. The government cares a lot about Peru’s international reputation, especially for tourism, and if we can make them feel embarrassed with a massive global campaign, I’m sure they’ll start taking action to end the massacre.

Once I deliver a million signatures from all over the world to the government of Peru, Avaaz will place ads in tourism magazines in countries where most of our tourists come from and the government won?t be able to ignore us! Help me stop the brutal slaughter by signing now:

When I saw this horrific hunt I realised I needed to do something about it before our dolphins and sharks are gone forever. So I decided to set up a petition and shared it with my friends and in less than 24 hours over 10,000 people had signed it!

Our oceans are under attack. Sharks and dolphins already face threats from pollution, climate change and entanglement in fishing gear. They play an important role as ocean predators and need to be protected — not butchered. Many marine ecosystems are on the verge of collapse from which they won’t recover and they will not wait while our politicians dither around making empty statements.

Tourism is Peru?s third largest industry, growing faster than any other South American country. Visitors are coming to see our pristine wilderness and eco-tourism is very important. We can create a serious threat by taking out hard-hitting ads in key countries where most visitors are coming from. Our government will realise people not only love our country because of the Machu Picchu and local gastronomy but also because they love our oceans and wildlife. Sign now and share this with everyone:

As an Avaaz member I’ve been truly amazed at our ability to help protect our oceans. At first, I wanted to get 15,000 signatures to represent the 15,000 dolphins that are killed every year but together we can represent all the dolphins and the sharks that can be saved in Peru’s waters!